Guitarist BEGGED Band Not to RECORD "CRAP" Cover Song…Became #1 Hit of the Year!—Professor of Rock

Poll: Who is your favorite BEATLE, MONKEE and STONE?

I don't care what anybody says they should have been already in the Rock and Roll Hall Of fame. There's one left give them that honor.

Pretenders schmetenders. No-one looks down their noses at bands like the Supremes, who didn't play their instruments, didn't write their songs, and were groomed into shape by the Motown machine. How were the Monkees any different? They could sing, they could play, and their outpit included some of the most memorable songs from a decade where song standards were incredibly high. And many of those songs were written by Mike Nesmith. People should give them the credit they're due and stop calling them a "pretend band".

Michael Nesmith was a sweet soul. I have 2 letters written in 1961 by Mike to my grandmother Analee Huffaker who was his high school music teacher at Thomas Jefferson High School in Dallas Texas. An excerpt from one of the letters was published in a July 1967 Tiger Beat magazine interview where Michael expresses that my grandmother taught him the joy of music. It’s about the most beautiful words you could ever hope to hear from a musician complimenting his music teacher. This quote should be on a plaque in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame because it would be the prettiest thing anyone could read in such a museum. Google up the article and read for yourself.

The Monkees should be in the rock ‘n’ roll Hall of Fame! If Tupac, NWA and other artists from other genres can be inducted, The Monkees damn well should be! When you look at their popularity, not just in the 1960s, but also their resurgence in the 1980s and beyond… There is no reason to exclude them. The idea that they don’t deserve to be in there because they didn’t play their instruments is asinine considering most artists in the 1960s used “the wrecking crew”/session musicians too. We shouldn’t wait until Mickey Dolenz is dead to correct this.

The Monkees are the epitome of 'fake it until you make it'. Big respect for how hard they worked to become a real band.

I always preferred Mickey's singing. "Last Train to Clarksville" is a favorite.

Music is about finding Joy! I am now 65 years old and I can honestly say that I had the experience of knowing some of the most famous rock stars in the world in my lifetime... whenever I think of the Monkees in my childhood it still brings a smile to my face in a big big way... over 50 years later and we can still word for word sing their songs... if that isn't greatness I don't know what is!

What a great thing that Nesmith went into a snit and was kicked out of the studio. The iconic voice and style of Mickey Dolenz was featured on "I'm a Believer." One of the memorable vocalists of the 60s was born.

My brother went to school with Michael Nesmith. They would practice playing guitars in my parent's garage.

I grew up in Hollywood, Ca. and was in Junior High from '66-'68. The Monkees filmed their TV series one block from my school at Columbia Studios. A few of us girls figured this out and so every day after school we stalked out along the chain link fence separating the street from the back lot where the Monkee's studio office was located at the top of some old wooden stairs on the outside of one of the buildings. Every afternoon when they were through filming, all four would climb the stairs and so we would call out to them and they would turn around and wave. There were no security guards at that time and only a few of us girls were there, but as time past the word got out and the crowd got huge and loud, and the Monkees moved on. But for a brief time, it was just a couple of my friends and the Monkees every day after school.

Back in 1986, MTV also re-ran episodes of the Monkees, helping to revive their popularity. I was working as a child photographer, and one of my subjects - a boy of about 9 years old - said to me "Oh, do you know the Monkees? I love the Monkees!" I looked at him, smiled, and said "Yes, Son, I know the Monkees. I wasn't much older than you when I knew the Monkees." This brought a big smile from his mother who was standing next to us. It really made my day.

You dropped the ball when you mentioned their album Justus. It was the pinnacle of their career. It was an album written, arranged, produced and performed solely by the Monkees. Literally “Just Us”. They proved once and for all that they could do it all. It was a proud accomplishment for the band.

I loved the Monkees as a kid, but as I grew older I came to see them as fake. Then one day not too long ago, I came across the famous poster of The Monkees, with opening act The Jimi Hendrix Experience. I showed it to a friend of mine, a professional musician, and laughed about the accompanying story, namely that Micky Dolenz heard Hendrix in some underground NYC club as a 17-year-old and decided to give him a shot. I expressed how funny it was that Dolenz was enough of a musician to recognize Hendrix's talent. My friend looked at me in disbelief -- "You know," he said, "No one could achieve the commercial success of the Monkees without an incredible amount of talent." Your video is a great reminder of what tremendous musicians these kids were.

I had such a big crush on Mike Nesmith when I was a kid. And watching his guitar work in Valerie, I was always stunned that no one else talked about how good he was with the guitar. I saw audition tapes for Davy and for Mike. Mike's was hilarious to me, as he came in, pretty much ignoring the person trying to audition him, rooted through the cabinets, pulled out the other guy's lunch, sat at the table, and ate it. That was his audition.

Thank you for featuring the Monkees. I had an awful day at school (I'm a teacher) and this put a smile on my face.

I loved watching The Monkees! I think their songs were the first ones I could actually sing along with. I'm 66 now. I will always cherish watching their show and singing their songs. RIP Gentlemen, you and Micky Dolenz will never be forgotten. Thank you.

I met Davy Jones on a train to derby in the UK. I was with a chap that had been the road manager of the who. We chatted for close to an hour. Lovely guy.

Hall of Famers for sure. They did something no one else did before them. They turned a TV show into a real band...and created some all-time great hits!

There's nothing that I don't love about this band. They were a decade before me but I've loved them since I was a little girl. From Mickey's rock voice, Davey's sweet voice, to Peter's quirky Auntie Grizelda. Great music, great TV show. Glad that they got to make their own music, but those early records were lightning and wouldn't have worked without their talent and charisma. Love seeing the Monkees celebrated!!